- Date posted
- 3y
- User type
- NOCD Alumni
- Date posted
- 3y
Hello Kat! It is hard to answer this since there is nothing to go on as far as what kind of obsession you are wanting to use ERP with. I would suggest making a hierarchy (a list) of current obsession you have with Moral scrupulosity and then write the compulsions you have for those obsessions and then rate them 1 to 10. 1 being least distressing and 10 being most distressing and then start with the lower ones and work your way up. For example if one of the obsessions is Confessing immoral thoughts and the compulsion would be confessing then when you have the urge to do so you would not confess and stay with the anxiety that it brings as you stay present and continue your day. I did a quick google search Moral Scrupulosity exposures and came across this https://www.sheppardpratt.org/news-views/story/moral-scrupulosity-ocd-part-one/ if you would like to check that out. Also have you started with a therapist here at NOCD. Give them a call if you are needing help to get started with ERP.
- Date posted
- 3y
Jess, thank you so much for this! I found it so helpful and it means a lot that you took the time to reply. I have worked with a therapist here and it helped a lot. I now cannot because I moved and don’t have insurance that covers in this state. The exposures we used don’t work well for me anymore (scripts). I posted my obsessions above. Thank you so much.
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi there! Happy to help with some exposure ideas. First I need to know some specifics. Can you give me some examples of your intrusive thoughts around the moral scrupulosity theme?
- Date posted
- 3y
Thank you for replying! It’s hard for me to explain but mainly thoughts around me having ignorant beliefs, not being a good person, or thinking/acting in ways that might harm people. One trigger is that I will see a very strong opinion on social media and it will trigger me. I always look to disagree with black/white opinions because they make me uncomfortable and anxious and then I feel like I have to spend hours googling and talking to people to reassure myself that I don’t have to accept that strong opinion. Or I will try and make sense of the opinion by reading stuff to validate or invalidate it, until I come to terms with it in my mind. I think this is scrupulousity. If anyone says something that I disagree with or that is “bad” and I’ve done it, I spend days/weeks/months obsessing over what they’ve said and what I might have done. And I have my own beliefs/values but when I get triggered I lose them and question everything.
- Date posted
- 3y
I also have a lot of fears about being exposed for past things, thoughts, internet stuff.
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 3y
Thanks for clarifying! Here’s some ideas for exposures right off the cuff! You can do really get creative. 1. Make a list of all of the “black and white” ways of thinking a focus on this list. Some responses while doing this could be “I may or may not agree with these views” or “Maybe I have black and white thinking”. 2. Journal about why you agree with a post or view (obviously you don’t agree so this will bring on that exposure anxiety) . 3. Watch videos of people with strong view points. 4. Do a worst case scenario downward arrow exercise….”If I believe this then….XYZ…..then this……which leads to….These are just s few to get you started. Also refrain from safety behaviors like googling or seeking reassurance from others.
- Date posted
- 3y
This is so helpful. Thank you so so much!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
Hi! Does anyone experience guilt about doing exposures? Like if my OCD is right and now I’m going to get possessed or cause this terrible thing to happen it will be my fault. And also prove that my brain DOES have that power which is so scary. I just did an exposure and I feel so worried about my fears coming true and the people I love (& me) getting hurt because of it. How do you get past this? It feels like I shouldn’t do exposures because it’s selfish.
- Young adults with OCD
- Students with OCD
- Harm OCD
- Religion & Spirituality OCD
- "Pure" OCD
- Magical Thinking OCD
- Date posted
- 23w
I'm really, really scared. I feel like my boyfriend and I went too far. We both belong to the same faith, and we've both committed from a young age to remain pure and chaste until marriage. And we've never had sex before, but we've talked a lot about it. And we've done things like laying on top of each other. Gently rubbing up against each other. He's kissed my chest. And I've send some pictures to him. Not nude pictures, but just ones that are a little revealing, and the guilt has been eating me alive. And of course, I know it's okay to feel sexual feelings, and it's good to have them and acknowledge them. They're vital feelings, and it's just us being human. It's a natural part of biology, and it's okay to be sexually attracted to one another, and to embrace that. It's something to be happy about. In our faith, we are cautioned against arousing sexual feelings in each other before marriage. And my boyfriend and I have absolutely done that, over and over again, when I've known better. Which makes me feel really guilty. Super guilty. I've struggled with scrupulosity for a long time. A really long time. And when I had a therapist who helped me to embrace my sexuality in a positive way, she really challenged my scrupulosity, and it helped me to attain a healthier view of the both myself and my standards, which is great. But in situations like this, I don't know if I'm dealing with scrupulous thoughts that are trying to make me fee feel guilty unnecessarily, or if I'm dealing with godly sorrow, like the kind of guilt that you feel so that you're urged to repent. And my boyfriend and I have kept an open dialogue about all of this since we started dating, and I think we've been communicating well, which is good. But we both agreed that last night, in particular, we really crossed the line, and I feel so guilty about it. We both agreed that this is a joint effort and that there's no blame to be put entirely on either one of us. My boyfriend has been really, really gentle about this subject, and I really appreciate his openness and honesty. But he doesn't see what we've done as anything to repent about. And even though he totally understands if I feel differently, I DO feel like we need to repent, both of us, not just me. He's open to hear any of my thoughts, even if they happened to be negative against him. And I appreciate that. But the guilt has been eating me alive. All the times I've made him moan on purpose because I like it. All the times I've let him talk so dirty to me. And the times I talked so dirty back to him. And I'm just comparing myself to other couples of our faith who may or may not have struggled, because obviously we're not the only ones to struggle. But we've done so much. We've talked so dirty to each other, and we're not even close to being engaged or anything. I just feel so filthy, and I feel ashamed for wanting to go further. A couple years ago, like I said, I had a therapist who really helped me to embrace my sexuality while also staying true to my faith. And I feel like I've really come a long way since then, but this feels different, because masturbation and embracing your own sexuality is different than teasing sex with another person. I just don't know how severe this really is. And I'm worried that I'll be reprimanded. I'm worried what would happen if my parents happened to find out. Not that I'm gonna tell them, but still, I'm really scared. I'd feel bad keeping this from them if it's really serious. I don't know what to do. I need to cry. My stomach hurts. I just feel all kinds of wrong.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 8w
I’m a Christian and I’m in my first relationship, often feeling guilty/uncomfortable with various things in relation to sexual purity. I’m struggling to know when things are OCD or genuine conviction. Any advice on how to know?
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